Is Belief in God Necessary for Morality? Americans Don’t Think So
Must a person believe in God in order to be moral and have good values? For the first time, more Americans answer no than yes.
According to the Pew Research Center, 56 percent of American adults consider belief in God unnecessary for morality. In 2011, that number was just 49 percent.
In a recent study, Pew found that the percentage of Americans who call themselves “spiritual but not religious” grew since 2012 from 19 to 27. The percentage who called themselves neither rose from 16 to 18.
This increase corresponds exactly to a decrease in the percentage who call themselves both. That went down sharply from 59 to 48. The other 6 percent called themselves religious but not spiritual.
The percentage of “spiritual but not religious” rose significantly among every category. The percentages for men (26) and women (29) are almost identical, as are those for white and black Americans. 32 percent of Democrats and 23 percent of Republicans call themselves “spiritual but not religious.”
As Gregory A. Smith notes, the increase correlates with America’s growing number of religious “nones.” But they’re not the only ones changing their minds. Smith is an associate director of research at Pew.
Between 2007 and 2014, the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans grew 6.7 percent. In 2014, nearly 23 percent identified with no religion, up from 16.1 percent in 2007. Millennials are a significant part of that bump in nones. Pew noted in 2010 that one in four adults under 30 had zero religious affiliation.
The Religious Don’t Think God is Necessary for Morality?
But the increase in nones doesn’t fully account for the jump reported above. Now, even more religious people are saying that one need not believe in God to be moral. In 2011, 42 percent of of the religiously-affiliated said God was not necessary for morality. Today, 45 percent say that.
The increase in white Evangelical Protestants who now hold this opinion is notable. In 2011, 26 percent said belief in God was necessary for morality in 2011. Thirty-five percent say the same today.
The percentage rose among white mainline Protestants, black Protestants and white Catholics. But those changes are not “statistically significant,” Smith writes. Black Protestants are the most conservative on this issue, with only 26 percent saying belief in God is unnecessary. White mainline Protestants are the most liberal, with almost tw0-thirds (63 percent) saying that.
Religious nones are not only a bigger group today than they were in 2011. They are also more likely to believe God isn’t necessary for morality. Only 78 percent held this view in 2011, despite having no religion. Today the number has climbed to 85 percent.
